'Damaged Plane Complicates Crash Investigations'

Mainland investigators looking into the nation's worst air disaster in a decade said on Tuesday evening no survivors have been found so far from the crash site of a China Eastern Airlines passenger jet in Guangxi.

Speaking at a news briefing, Zhu Tao, director of aviation safety at the Civil Aviation Administration of China, said authorities have yet to determine what caused the crash of the Boeing 737.

“The aircraft had been severely damaged, which made the investigation very difficult," Zhu said.

"As the probe has just begun, based on the current available information, we are unable to have a clear understanding of the cause of the accident."

Authorities also said they're making an all-out effort to look for the doomed plane's flight data recorders.

Officials said the rescue work will continue, and they will provide support for the victims' families.

Flight MU5735, with 123 passengers and nine crew members on board, was heading from Kunming to Guangzhou on Monday when it suddenly plunged from cruising altitude around an hour into the journey.

Authorities said the plane shortly disappeared from the radar, and later crashed near the city of Wuzhou.